Chipmaker Qualcomm claims to have been granted a court order banning the import and sale of various iPhone models in China, but Apple has insisted that all iPhone models remain available for sale in the market.
A Chinese court has granted Qualcomm's request for two preliminary injunctions against four of Apple's Chinese subsidiary prohibiting the sale and import of seven iPhone models, Qualcomm said in a statement.
The ban covers the unlicensed importation, sale and offer for sale in China of the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, Qualcomm said.
Qualcomm is suing Apple in China alleging that Apple violates two of its patents in the iPhone models.
In a statement, Qualcomm said Apple has continually refused to compensate the company for benefiting from its intellectual property, and that the court orders “are further confirmation of the strength of Qualcomm’s vast patent portfolio.”
But in its own statement, Apple has insisted that all iPhone models remain available for sale in China, and called Qualcomm's attempt at banning the devices “another desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world.”
The timing of the reported decision coupled with the fact that injunctions of the sort are rarely granted in China has led to speculation that politics may have played a role in the ruling, and that it may represent the latest blow in the ongoing US-China telecoms trade war.